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Animals & Wildlife
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Save Turtles in Mata Palo

Patrol along a wonderful beach and help to guard the nests of endangered marine turtles.

About the Program

On breathtaking beaches you and other volunteers protect turtles that are in danger of extinction.

Volunteers play a crucial role in conservation efforts!

The Location

This program is located in the central Pacific coast, south of Quepos and north of Dominical, and it is right in the tiny village of Mata Palo. The beach – dark sand – is about 10 km long and 6 kilometers are patrolled by the volunteers of this camp to find mainly with Olive Ridley turtles and sometimes Green Sea turtles and some Hawksbill turtles. Compared to other turtle programs you will have some infrastructure here – a little supermarket, a little restaurant and there is a school that we plan to cooperate with. The coastline in this area is stunning and also very suitable for surfing. There is a surfschool right beneath the program.

You should be prepared for very simple living conditions and for sometimes physically demanding work at unusual hours as most of the turtle nesting occurs at night. If you love outdoor life ... you will see that every single turtle is worth it!

Our Volunteers

Our Volunteers should have a love for nature and fun with outdoor-living. They should be prepared for sometimes physically demanding work and work at unusual hours as most of the turtle nesting occurs at night. The volunteers should bring a sleeping bag, repellent, mosquito net, flashlight, batteries, rain protection (May - November), sun protection and a hat or cap.

Free-time activities

Your camp is not far away from Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park. For longer trips you should save your free days and make a journey at the end of your project time. There are amazing volcanos to visit, more National Parks like Monteverde, Rincón de la Vieja, and others. You can go for adventure tours - canopy or kayaking or rafting or tree climbing ... so much to do and see in Costa Rica! :-)

Water Sports

Swimming

Diving/Snorkling

Hiking

Riding

Contact & Reservation

$285

/week

$285

/week

2 - 12

weeks

2 - 12

weeks

17+

age

17+

age

Airport Pickup

Housing

Food

Internet

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Included Services

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application process
- including all necessary payments. Planning your next meaningful trip with Volunteer World gives you free access to our:

We organize the journey to the project and we also do hostel reservations in San José if needed (mostly it is needed!) - and, if you will combine projects, we will also organize the transportation between the projects. You will have to pay the cost for the pickup and the transport.

Accommodation

You will be living with other volunteers in a simple dorm-room while the volunteer house is in construction.

Dorm Room

Food & Beverages

Your food - breakfast, lunch, dinner - will be prepared in the camp and consists of the typical costarican cuisine: rice, beans, vegetables, meat and fruit.

Internet Access

Limited access at the project site

What's NOT included?

Visa, flights, travel insurance or vaccinations are NOT included in the program fees.
An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.

You can volunteer at the project site in Mata Palo/Costa Rica between 2 weeks and 12 weeks.
Please note that the above shown program fees are estimated and subject to exchange rate fluctuations.
first hand Costa Rica
will let you know about the final price during your application process.

Deposit (15%)

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.

Final Payment (85%)

Your final payment will be agreed with first hand Costa Rica during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.